Meaningful Words
by Tehri
Summary: 36 different words to describe Juushirou and Shunsui; a short drabble follows each word, and POV shifts from Shun to Juu. About their friendship, how others see them, what they think of each other. Suggested ShunJuu somewhere. I don't own Bleach!


~*Mischief*~

The best word that in Juushirou's opinion could describe how Shunsui was at the Academy was "mischief". If one had to describe him more vividly, he'd use "mischievous brat" (not that anyone else than Shunsui could imagine him saying something like that). The slightly older man had always been up to something; he'd always smirk in just the right way, and people would get nervous. Then, when nothing happened for an entire day, they'd relax. But Juushirou always reckoned, even before he got to know the other student, that something would happen; either during the night or during the next day. Because when Kyouraku Shunsui got _that_ look in his eyes, then he would do something. He would just avoid letting anyone know where, how and when. And why, of course. No one really knew why he was always up to something. But Juushirou knew, and if someone asked him, he'd just smile sweetly at them and say that he couldn't allow himself to tell them, because it would put another person in a bad light.

~*Mature*~

Shunsui had noted very early on at the Academy that there was one person in his class who seemed more mature than everyone else together. That person was a boy with white hair who always sat at the front, paying intent attention to everything the teacher said and not even looking down to see if he was writing correctly. When someone would crack a fairly immature joke that made even Shunsui mentally roll his eyes and groan, Ukitake Juushirou would sigh deeply and get a frown on his pretty pale face and tell the person that it would be nice if he could grow up a little bit, because there were already enough children around. Juushirou did have quite many friends, as people came to him for advice or anything of the like. People liked to say that even a teacher had asked him for advice a few times, and Juushirou never said anything to either deny or confirm it. Even now, when they were both captains and close friends since years back, Juushirou would sometimes look at Shunsui just _so_ and tell him to act his age. And Shunsui would always grin at him and say that Juushirou always did have a mature stick up his... And before the flamboyant man could ever finish the sentence, he'd get smacked with his own hat.

~*Energy*~

If there was one thing Juushirou had never ever been able to figure out, then it was where the hell Shunsui got his energy from. The man could get drunk one night, and then calmly state that he was not even the least bit hungover the next morning (a prompt lie, of course, as Juushirou would figure out when he'd talk just a little bit louder because he found the way Shunsui twitched and grimaced amusing). Although the man was lazy, he could disappear within seconds, directing all his energy to chasing after someone he liked to talk to. Juushirou liked to claim that his old friend had put all his drunken energy into chasing a bird once, which the other man of course denied. Then there was of course the times when not even Nanao could force him to work and Juushirou calmly told her to leave the room. He'd take off his haori and then slowly, very slowly, start to undress. Shunsui would stare, and then pout as Juushirou stopped removing his _obi_, smirked at him and said that if he worked very hard, then maybe he'd get a reward. That was always a good way to make the lazy man do something. Nanao had never managed to figure out how Juushirou did it.

~*Strength*~

Far too many in the Gotei 13 believed that strength was defined by if you survived a battle or not, by how strong enemies you took down, or by how strong your shikai was. Shunsui would always frown disapprovingly if he heard someone say that. These younglings had no idea what strength was. But he knew that captain Ukitake Juushirou did not fit in their definition of the word. Juushirou had suffered from tuberculosis ever since he was a baby, and if the attacks were bad enough, he could be bedridden for weeks. He had to be careful so that he didn't collapse in the middle of a fight, and some people even said that he should have constant medical supervision. Shunsui threw a mental tantrum whenever he heard that. Even during the times of the captains' meetings when Juushirou was ill, some of the younger captains would frown disapprovingly and obviously wonder how someone so weak could hold that position. At times like that, Shunsui desperately wanted to hit them. But this time, when some of the new members of the Eighth Division talked loudly about it (despite the older members attempting to make them shut up), he calmly walked over to them and asked them to come with him. He led them all the way to the Ugendou, smiling as he stepped inside and sat down by the bed. Juushirou had just woken up and peered curiously at the strangers.

"Shunsui", he said, his voice hoarse. "I thought I had asked you to tell me if you were bringing someone..."

Shunsui just grinned at him, calmly bidding the new recruits to sit down.

"Well, Juu", he said and patted his friend's head. "They needed a little lesson about how to define strength. And you are, by far, the strongest person I know of, so I thought I might as well bring them here to meet you right away. Because what way is better to learn about strength than to let the doubting ones meet the strongest captain in Soul Society, the man who has stared death in the face more often than anyone else? Don't you think that meeting a person like that would make them understand what strength is?"

~*Persistence*~

Shunsui was a very persistent person. He didn't like to back out of things before they were done, and he wouldn't give up if there was something special that he wanted. Ise Nanao was one of these cases; almost every day, Juushirou watched that endless dance of displays of affection and cold formal displays of annoyance. And he found it very amusing, because he knew that Ise-kun would not give up either. Shunsui would probably never cease with his attempts at making her display at least some affection, and she would absolutely never cease to thwart his endless attempts. So Juushirou watched with a playful smile on his face as Shunsui recited poetry about his "lovely lovely Nanao-chan". He watched as "Nanao-chan" coolly told her captain that the poem in question was very indecent and that she wished he could stop lazing around and get to work. He watched and laughed as he saw a very drunk Shunsui embrace his vice-captain while saying in a loud sing-song voice that she was the only one for him and that he wished to have a wife just like her, or even that she'd become his wife, only to get smacked by a heavy book moments later. Shunsui would never give up, and Nanao would never yield to him. So maybe, if he was lucky, Juushirou would get to watch these amusing little scenes a bit longer. Because he didn't get tired of Shunsui's inhuman persistence.

~*Gentle*~

Ukitake Juushirou was a gentle man. Surprisingly gentle, even. If he believed a subject to be touchy for the person he spoke to, he'd delicately avoid it. If he believed that he could hurt someone, he would not grasp anyone's wrist too hard. If he thought that he would break something, he would handle it with almost extreme care. Shunsui had seen this behaviour many times. While he was well aware that his best friend was a strong man, he did wonder where this odd behaviour came from. He never asked about it, but he found it odd, and at the same time amusing. But one day, when he had watched and listened as Juushirou gently reprimanded Sentarou and Kiyone for breaking a teacup (he obviously didn't really mind, but the cup had been his favourite), he decided to ask about it.

"Why do you always handle everything as if it's made of glass, Juushirou", he asked, making his friend blink in surprise. "You've always been like that; acting like you're afraid of breaking everyone and everything. Why is that?"

Juushirou just smiled softly at him and picked up the cup of sake that Shunsui always carried around.

"Say, Shunsui", he said slowly. "Would you want to break this cup? It's your favourite, you always carry it around."

"Well, of course not."

"And you wouldn't want to lose your hairpins. You've had those for a long time."

"You know I love them, they were a gift from my mother..."

"And you don't want to tear up that kimono. You're always wearing it, aren't you?"

"You gave it to me, so of course not."

Juushirou smiled at him and nodded.

"Exactly", he said. "You don't want to break things that are important to you."

Shunsui blinked slowly, and then his usual lazy grin was back on his face. Finally, he did understand this "odd" behaviour.

~*Tall*~

New members in the Eighth Division mostly found themselves look down just a little bit on the vice-captain who, for some reason, had taken it on herself to greet them alone. She was of average height, and beautiful in a cold and formal way. But they did not voice their opinions on the subject.

The first time they met their captain, they could only stare. The vice-captain had brought them with her to a garden, and under a sakura tree were two men; one of them was pale and had white hair and he held a teacup in his hands, and the other was spread out on his back, a pink flowery kimono resting on the ground under his back and a straw-hat shielding his eyes from invading sunlight. The pale man curiously eyed the newcomers before he gave the other a hard poke between the ribs.

"Rise and shine, Kyouraku", he chuckled. "Ise-kun has brought them here now."

And a groaning captain Kyouraku Shunsui slowly got up on his feet. The very first thing they noticed was that this man was _tall_. True, maybe there were some shinigami taller than him, but he must still be at least over 6 feet and two inches. Their surprised reactions were apparently all too visible on their faces, because the captain started to chuckle, and the white-haired man next to him smiled.

"Honestly", muttered Shunsui. "What is it with this bunch? The hat? Or the kimono? It was the kimono last time."

"Shunsui, you've got to realise something", said Juushirou with a smirk. "They probably consider themselves strong adults now; you must look terrifying to them."

"I'm not _that_ tall! Oi! Stop smirking or I'll wipe it off your face myself! I mean it! Hey, stop laughing!"

~*Serenity*~

If asked, most of the high-ranked officers of the Gotei 13 would describe Ukitake Juushirou with the word _serenity_. It was always there, wrapped around him like a thick and protective blanket that seemed to calm everyone around him. Shunsui liked to call it "the secret weapon of the Gotei 13".

"If you hadn't become a shinigami, you could've become a wandering wise man", he joked one day after drinking just a little more than usual. "People would adore you... Or well, they already adore you, but they'd come in masses and ask you for advice. Besides, you can talk your way out of any situation; you'd be able to talk a hollow into attacking its own kind."

Juushirou frowned a little bit and then promptly took the jug of sake away.

"You've had enough to drink", he said gently, and then a smile crept to his face. "Besides, if I hadn't become a shinigami, I wouldn't have met you. And I wouldn't have all this "wisdom" as you call it. Not a speck."

Shunsui just smiled at him and nodded, attempting (and failing) to take the sake back.

"I still don't see how you do it, though", he said after a while. "Always being so serene... How can you take being like that all the time?"

Juushirou raised an eyebrow.

"One, with age and wisdom comes serenity", he said. "You've displayed it several times. Second. If any wise man ever had to deal with you for a bit more than two thousand years, they'd have the patience and serenity of a god. I'm just a normal man putting up with you."

"Hey, that's a cheap blow! That was so cheap!"

"So is this sake. Why do you drink this stuff?"

"Couldn't afford the expensive stuff. Now, wise man, can I have it back?"

"It's my duty as your friend and personal wise man to keep you from drinking cheap sake."

"... I don't like your serenity anymore."

~*Stubble*~

It was a known fact among the captains that Kyouraku Shunsui did not shave. Why, they weren't quite sure. Soifon believed that he tried to hide some sort of a scar. Unohana knew that there wasn't a scar, but preferred to believe that he was trying to grow a full beard. Byakuya preferred not to believe anything, but thought that it looked indecent. Komamura just didn't see the point; what was visible of Kyouraku's skin was already covered with hair anyway, so why would he want hair on his face too? Hitsugaya thought that Shunsui was imitating someone (he couldn't know who), and mainly meant that it just made him look more like a lazy drunk bum. Kenpachi refused to think anything of it at all. Kurotsuchi didn't think it interesting enough, so he didn't pay any attention. Ukitake knew, but wouldn't tell anyone; he just stood back and smiled while the other captains tried to figure it out. Once, when Hitsugaya asked Shunsui directly, the flamboyant captain flashed him an amused grin and shrugged.

"It's like a secret weapon", he said. "It makes a specific person shut up when he's complaining about something."

"... Who is that specific person", Hitsugaya asked with a slight frown. "And why would it be so horrible..?"

Shunsui just grinned and glanced over at Juushirou, who instinctively flinched and started to edge away. It took Shunsui a mere moment to step over to his old friend, grab him and embrace him, nuzzling his cheek against Juushirou's neck. The white-haired captain yelped and tried to push him off.

"Get off me", he yelled. "Shunsui! Get off me, you oaf! Stop it! Stop it, it's... Ah! No! No, stop that! Stop it, it tickles! Shunsui, I'm going to hit you! Stop!"

Hitsugaya started to smirk. He never thought that stubble could be that amusing. Or that the "frail" Juushirou could hit Shunsui that hard without being able to make the brown-haired man stop.

~*Hair*~

Shunsui could never keep himself from staring at those beautiful silky white locks; the way they fell in cascades down over Juuushirou's back, the way they gently lifted in the wind. It was just true beauty and grace. People in Seireitei normally assumed that the ailed captain took very good care of his looks, but Shunsui knew otherwise; Juushirou could go for almost a week without even brushing it, and at the end of the week Shunsui would have to help him untangle it all. More than once had the poor man complained about it, said that he wished he could just chop it all off and walk around with short hair like he did at the Academy. Shunsui just chuckled at those rants and said that if Juushirou was going to cut his hair off, then Shunsui would do the same.

"We said we'd both grow our hair long", he said as he gently loosened another tangle. "You were the one who thought we should do it, so don't try to bail out on me now."

"I know, I know", Juushirou muttered, grimacing a little bit as Shunsui gently tried to run his fingers through the white mass of hair and got stuck in another tangle. "It's just... Ow! No, I'm fine... It's just that I never thought it'd be this bothersome..."

"Well, you're stuck in bed so often, so you just don't brush it", Shunsui replied with a chuckle. "Or do I need to come here and help you with that too?" He smirked and leaned in a little, placing his chin on Juushirou's shoulder. "Does little Juu-chan need help brushing his hair? Aaaw..."

Juushirou huffed, planting his hand firmly against Shunsui's forehead and pushing him back. The other man just laughed as he fell back.

~*Attention*~

The first time Ukitake Juushirou started to wonder just what kind of people they let into the Academy was when he saw a brown-haired boy chasing stampeding girls through the corridors. With a slight huff he had turned around and just walked away, deciding not to pay any attention to what was going on and instead get to class. The second time he wondered the same thing was when he saw the same boy get chased by a teacher. That time he just rolled his eyes and continued to read. But it didn't take long for that boy to suddenly start to pay attention to him, and follow him around. He seemed to do anything to make Juushirou pay attention to him. It finally ended with Juushirou getting annoyed enough to stop ignoring him and instead turning around and hitting him as hard as he could. The boy doubled over and coughed and wheezed, but then looked up at him and grinned.

"Made you look", he said.

Juushirou just blinked and stared at him.

"Made me... look...?"

"Yep." The boy stood up and stretched. "Oow... Okay, you hit harder than I thought. Need to remember not to underestimate anyone, especially not when he's in the top of the class..."

And with that, Kyouraku Shunsui presented himself and happily started to follow his "new best friend" around wherever he went. And even after they became captains, Juushirou would sometimes huff good-naturedly at Shunsui's childish way of making him look at him, and chuckle at the memory of how that flamboyant man had craved his attention and finally gotten it.

~*Smile*~

If there was one thing that Shunsui found as beautiful as the most beautiful woman, then it was Juushirou's smile. When he had once said that to Nanao, she had just raised an eyebrow and asked if he was really thinking straight; after all, in her eyes a smile couldn't compete to a whole person's beauty. But Shunsui insisted on that Juushirou's smile was special in that way.

"It can melt any heart", he said with a lazy smile and downed another cup of sake. "And it can bring enemies together as friends, if he works hard enough on it. It can calm any sort of wrath, and it can chase away the clouds on a cloudy day."

Nanao sighed and shook her head. It was no use to try and argue with this man when he really thought that it was like this. So she simply decided not to do it anymore. However, when Juushirou came to visit later that day, she peered curiously at him for a moment, and then decided that it was indeed a very beautiful smile. Unfortunately, Shunsui immediately noticed.

"Hah, I told you so, Nanao", he shouted. "Admit it now!"

"Kindly drop dead, sir", she replied calmly and continued to work.

Juushirou blinked and looked at them.

"... So what exactly have you two been discussing about me", he asked and tilted his head.

Shunsui grinned.

"The most devastating and most beautiful thing in Soul Society", he said. "Your smile."

~*Womanizer*~

Shunsui loved women. He adored them, and he practically worshipped the very ground their feet touched. There was nothing about a woman that he couldn't find beautiful, so he could spend long days wandering around in Seireitei and just lavishing attention on these amazing beings.

He loved to tell Soifon that even if she didn't smile, he still thought she was amazing, graceful and strong like a cat, and that she had the most wonderful eyes.

He never stopped telling Unohana that she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and that she had managed to maintain her wonderful looks all through the years.

He told Isane that he liked tall women very much and that she should never stop being shy, because it was a big part of her most lovely personality.

He patted little Hinamori on the head and said that the man who could have her as his wife would be envied by him, because she was such a pretty and precious little thing.

He'd never cease with telling Nanao just how lovely she was and that she'd be even lovelier if she'd just smile a bit more, and he never forgot to tell her every morning just how amazing she looked.

He hugged Matsumoto whenever he met her and kissed her cheeks and told her that she looked absolutely stunning and that no man would ever be able to say otherwise.

He chuckled and gave Yachiru candy whenever he saw her, saying that she was most certainly going to grow up and become a most lovely woman, and that he hoped he'd be around to see it.

He always made sure that meek little Nemu was never in the shadow of her father, and he'd tie ribbons in her hair and compliment her on how cute she looked.

And when he later told Juushirou about his day of giving love to every woman he saw, they both knew that despite eventual slaps he got, these women secretly appreciated this kind of special attention once in a while. Because even if Shunsui never went any further than complimenting them and giving them thoughtful gifts, he also gave them a confidence-boost to make sure that they'd get a man who thought just as much of them as he did.

~*Love*~

Juushirou was a man who believed very firmly in love. He loved the life he led. He loved his family. He loved all the members in his division. He loved all his friends. He simply loved everything about life, even the most painful moments. Because they showed him that he was still alive, that he had made it through another day. Shunsui used to tease him and say that he only needed to find a woman to love now, and every time Juushirou just chuckled and told him that he'd wait a bit more with that.

"You've waited ever since we came out of the Academy", said Shunsui with a raised eyebrow. "Are you going to live in celibacy throughout your entire life? Have you ever even been with a woman?"

Juushirou blushed and swatted at him.

"Don't talk like that", he huffed. "Of course I have been with someone, you idiot, you know that already!"

Shunsui just flashed him a grin and patted his head.

"Of course, of course", he said with a sympathetic tone. "I know. You're quite an experienced man, aren't you?"  
Juushirou blushed even more and huffed good-naturedly. He was well aware of that Shunsui was just teasing him, so it was no use to get annoyed. Besides... How could he get mad at someone he loved?

~*Pink*~

Juushirou had been Shunsui's best friend for over two thousand years, and as such he had long ago gotten used to the man's strange antics. But he always forgot about (or refused to remember) that at least three times every century, Shunsui would drag him along to get him new clothes he could wear when he didn't have to wear his uniform. And on this day, when Shunsui was currently chirping about that while Juushirou looked very "dashing" in white and black but that blue suited him much better, Juushirou could vividly recall the first three times he had encountered this behaviour. The third time, Shunsui had managed to annoy him just enough to make him come with a suggestion.

"Well, Shunsui", he had said with a smirk and pointed at a pink flowery kimono. "Why don't you take that one, then? If you're going to force me to wear _purple_, then you have to wear that."

He recalled his surprise when Shunsui had happily declared that pink was a very lovely colour and that it suited him well. With a quiet chuckle, he glanced at his old friend who absent-mindedly fingered the pink kimono.

"Say, Shunsui", he said. "Maybe you should see if you can find something more like that?"

And a happily grinning Shunsui dashed off, dragging Juushirou along, in search of more pink clothes. Juushirou was, after all, all too aware of the fact that if it hadn't been because of that Yamamoto would've been furious, Shunsui would've found a way to dye his entire uniform pink ages ago.

~*White*~

Shunsui frowned a little bit as he heard Juushirou let out a low disappointed sound. The ailed captain was currently looking at his reflection in a mirror and running his fingers through his hair, looking fairly distraught. Every now and then, he held up a few strands of his white hair in front of his eyes and let out a sigh or a quiet complaining sound.

"What ails you today", Shunsui asked gently. "You act like Ayasegawa from the Eleventh on a bad hair day, only that you're not locking yourself up and freaking out."

Juushirou slowly walked over to him and sat down, obviously sulking.

"Just remembering", he muttered. "I had dark brown hair, almost black, before this... I look like an old man, Shunsui..."

Shunsui just chuckled and put an arm around him, pulling him into a hug.

"Well, you look good in white", he said, making the sulking captain peer at him with a slight sparkle in his eyes that told Shunsui he was on the right way. "It's very elegant, you know. It suits you very well. I can't quite imagine you with dark hair..."

"Well, I don't like it", Juushirou immediately shot back. "Why is it that I'm the one of us who has to look like an old man when you're the one who's older?"

Shunsui began to laugh; he knew that Juushirou was currently fishing for compliments that would make him feel better, and as the man's best friend, Shunsui gladly obliged.

"You look wonderful", he cooed. "A dashing young man with the most beautiful silken white hair. That's how I see it. So don't complain, alright? I like you in white."

And with a faint smile, Juushirou admitted quietly that he liked white.

~*Hairpins*~

Some people wondered why Kyouraku Shunsui always insisted on wearing those strange pinwheel hairpins. If they asked him, sometimes he'd just laugh and say that he liked them. Sometimes he said that they just had sentimental value, so he was particularly fond of them. Sometimes he refused to say anything at all and just got a sad look in his eyes. They had even asked his vice-captain about it, but she just sighed at them and told them to go about their business; she did seem to know about it, because whenever she was asked the cold around her seemed to drop a little, and a look appeared in her eye that was a tad softer than usual.

One day in the early summer, Shunsui suddenly disappeared. Nanao, who apparently knew where he had gone off to, told everyone who asked her not to mind and just relax; the captain would be back in the evening. Ukitake Juushirou came to visit, even though his friend was not there. Instead, he spoke to Nanao about different things; just a pleasant chat. While they talked, they were approached by some shinigami, once again with the same question; why did Kyouraku Shunsui wear those pinwheel hairpins? Nanao just sighed and was about to tell them to go away, but Juushirou smiled gently and shook his head at her.

"It's alright for them to ask", he said softly, making her reluctantly nod.

The white-haired captain's hazel eyes calmly gazed at the small group of Eighth Division shinigami.

"Your captain is right to be very fond of those hairpins", he said. "He doesn't lie when he says that he likes them, and he doesn't lie when he says that they have sentimental value." The look in those wise eyes somehow got even softer, almost sorrowful. "They were a gift from his honoured mother."

They blinked, more at the way he said it than the revelation.

"And as for where he's gone..." Juushirou sighed and smiled a sad and gentle smile. "Every year, on this day, he visits his mother's grave. He sits there for a whole day, and tells her about what an eventful year it has been. He brings her favourite flowers there and plants them... There's a small field of lilies there now."

And later in the evening, when their honoured captain returned to the division, they all calmly sat down and had a drink with him; just to wipe away that sad look on his face.

~*Protector*~

Once a year, Juushirou would take a short leave and visit his family. He did this only to make sure that they were really alright (which they always said in the letters they sent him) and out of a strong wish to just see them again. At times, Shunsui would come with him, simply because he knew Juushirou's family well by now and because he liked the younger siblings. He liked to sit and talk pleasantly with the parents while Juushirou for once actually stopped being that gentle and honourable and wise man and just became dear old Juu-nii who played with his little siblings. The oldest of the brothers started a sparring match with Juushirou, and the laughing white-haired man let him win. Shunsui could not help but smile at the sight; it was rare for anyone to see Juushirou like this, so he treasured these moments. And later in the evening, when the little ones were all asleep, Juushirou came outside and joined his best friend on the porch; the parents were inside, at the moment talking about something. Shunsui smiled pleasantly.

"Had fun", he asked.

Juushirou chuckled.

"Kei-chan is getting stronger", he commented. "I wasn't ready for that strike."

Shunsui chuckled as well and patted Juushirou's head, earning a playful glare from the pale man.

"With you being a captain, they're very well protected", Shunsui said, his voice suddenly quiet. "You know that you're very precious to them, right? They know you can get hurt at times, but they trust that you won't die. You're their protector, Juushirou... Can you keep that up until it's time to let go?"

Juushirou smiled warmly; as usual, Shunsui had guessed what was on his mind.

"Of course", he said. "Of course I'll protect them."

~*Sake*~

While it was unknown to many, Juushirou did keep quite many jugs of sake in his residence, and in his office of course. While he didn't drink that often, he did admit that he liked to have a cup at times. However, they were mostly there for Shunsui's sake. He knew that the flamboyant man would want to drink when he came there, so he made sure to always have a jug nearby. He felt like it'd be rude if he didn't make sure to give his dearest old friend the best welcome he could. Besides, he liked to see the look of absolute joy on Shunsui's face whenever he held up a jug of the finest sake he could afford. This day was no different.

"Ah, Juu, you spoil me!" Shunsui grinned happily as he took the jug and refilled his cup for the fourth time. "How on earth did you afford this?"

Juushirou gave him a pleasant smile and sipped his tea.

"The same way I usually do", he shot back. "I don't waste everything at once."

Shunsui raised an eyebrow and smiled innocently.

"I have no idea what you're referring to", he claimed and gulped down the drink. "I'm great at saving things, you know."

A shared laugh, and then they moved on to the normal topics.

~*Tea*~

Shunsui had tried the tea Juushirou drank once. But only once. After that, he swore that he'd never do it again, simply because it was rather strong. Juushirou had smiled innocently at him and claimed that he had no idea why Shunsui would make such a ridiculous claim; though the suspicious brown-haired man believed that "little Juu-kun" had done that on purpose. But still, he couldn't help but think that Juushirou looked more peaceful than usual when he sat with a cup of tea in his hands.

"Just how much can you drink, Juu", he asked with a smile and ruffled his hair. "Isn't that the seventh cup?"

Juushirou smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe", he said. "But it's late afternoon, too, and I haven't been drinking _constantly_."

Shunsui laughed and nodded.

"Alright, alright", he said. "I get the point."

They sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying the moment. Shunsui kept thinking about the tea he had tried, and wondered silently if he ought to try again. He glanced at Juushirou every now and then, until the white-haired captain noticed and chuckled before pouring him a cup.

Mere moments later, Shunsui decided that Juushirou really had no idea about how strong it was; the little bastard had gotten far too used to it.

~*Laugh*~

Juushirou had always liked it when Shunsui laughed; somehow, he found it a very calming sound. A deep and joyful laughter that made even Juushirou feel even more alive. When he sometimes started to cough rather badly, Shunsui would laugh gently and ask him if he had gone to Unohana as he had been told, and every time the ailed captain would calm down and manage to stop the coughing. This had through the years led to that Juushirou claimed that if Shunsui didn't smile or laugh, then he'd die. It was only once when he was truly bad that Shunsui just wouldn't smile or laugh at all. He just sat there, frowning and looking generally concerned. Juushirou had just sighed deeply.

"I'll be alright, Shunsui", he said quietly. "But please... Don't stop smiling, okay? And don't stop laughing. Come now; tell me about what you've been doing the last few days."

"It's nothing important", muttered Shunsui. "Just girls and a few pranks. You don't want to hear it. Juu, you're not well, you..."

"Don't even try to lecture me." Juushirou smiled, beaming with his entire being. "Please, Shunsui, tell me. I'd love to hear. I bet you had fun, so you have to tell me."

And with a slowly reappearing smile, Shunsui began to tell Juushirou about what he'd been doing. It didn't take long until Unohana stopped just outside the door and smiled fondly at the sound of laughter.

~*Water*~

Shunsui and Juushirou had a favourite place they often went to; in the Academy, they liked to call it "the playground". It was a small forest with a clearing in the middle, where a stream flowed. They knew every single tree in this forest, and had even managed to outrun and outwit Yamamoto there once (_once_ being the keyword). There were many fond memories for them both there, and even though they didn't have as much time nowadays, they still went there as often as they could. And every time, Juushirou would promptly sit down by the stream, pull off his sandals and his _tabi_ and put his feet into the cold water. Shunsui always frowned at that, because he was rather certain about that it'd just make his health worse. But Juushirou had no plans on stopping at all. He liked the water, he said, and he had never caught a cold from it before. But the day when it started to rain while they were there and Juushirou said "It's just a little water", Shunsui promptly took off his straw-hat and pink kimono and put them both on the white-haired man before calmly pulling him closer to make sure that he was warm enough. Juushirou didn't complain, but he chuckled softly at him.

"Silly Shunsui", he said teasingly. "Is little Shun-shun afraid of a little water falling from the sky?"

~*Calm*~

When Shunsui felt calm, he seemed very irresponsible to some people. He'd be either asleep or drunk, mostly sitting or lying down somewhere high above the ground. He'd just be up there, enjoying the sunshine or watching the clouds, or maybe just look out over Seireitei with a content smile on his face. Juushirou knew that in this sense, Shunsui was much like a cat; although he liked heights, he was also afraid of falling down, so he often made sure to stay some way from the edge. Juushirou was one of very few people who could find him when he was in that mood, since the man would suppress his spirit power until it was almost impossible to sense it. But it always happened that a chuckling white-haired captain would find his old friend up on a rooftop with a jug of sake next to him and a lazy smile on his face. And all he'd do would be to smile back and sit down to join him. It was always best to let this mood stay for a while, because at these times, it was impossible to get the lazy bum to work anyway. Nanao was persistent, of course. But Juushirou asked her to go about her duties and allow her captain to take a short break.

"He wouldn't do it if he didn't need it, Ise-kun", he said with a smile. "You know he works very hard when he tries; and he's been working properly for two days."

~*Excuses*~

In his entire life, Shunsui had met many different people; honest and truthful persons, and persons who'd lie through their teeth at any given chance. Ukitake Juushirou was a lovely mix of these two kinds; he was mostly honest and very truthful, but when it was sorely needed, he'd tell a white lie and somehow manage to make it sound extremely convincing even if it was plainly ridiculous. Shunsui couldn't even remember all the times this little ability had dragged him out of trouble. He had heard Juushirou pull off the most ridiculous excuse, and he'd seen people believe it. It was, all in all, hilarious. He could remember one time at the Academy, in the late afternoon, when they had pulled a rather big prank on Yama-jii, and the old man himself came to their dorm room to speak to Shunsui. When he got there, they had been sitting by the table, both of them seemingly in the middle of doing some homework. When Yamamoto had demanded an explanation, Juushirou had stood up and spoken before Shunsui could even open his mouth.

"Pardon me, Sensei, but I really don't think it would have been possible for Kyouraku-kun to do that without having me noticing or following him around. And we have both been here all the time; he actually asked me to help him with this assignment, so we went here as soon as the classes ended."

He had been lying through his teeth, but there had been a sincerely concerned and slightly disapproving look in his eyes that only a person who defended a friend could have. And Yamamoto had believed him, even when he continued and said that he had heard the two in the room next to theirs going out about an hour earlier. Juushirou could be a little cruel when he felt like it; especially when he felt like getting back at someone.

~*Child*~

Juushirou often thought of Shunsui as an overgrown child, due to how the man could act at times. The childish pouting, the pranks, and the way he'd get annoyed if he didn't get attention... There were far too many similarities, and Juushirou would never stop to point it out to his friend just to see him pout like that again. This would often lead Shunsui to call him cruel and then attempt to ignore him. However, Juushirou had gotten a little too used to that behaviour (although that does not show how he reacted the first time it happens; Shunsui still liked to point out that he was ready to cry at the end of the third day), so he didn't pay much attention to it. However, at certain times Shunsui would succeed. And at those times, Juushirou would be shivering as if he was about to cry, and Shunsui would smile and gently reassure him that he didn't mean to make him sad.

People liked to ask why Juushirou would put up with the other man's childishness; Juushirou could only answer by saying that seeing Shunsui act like that made his own inner child show itself, and he liked it.

~*Adult*~

The well known fact that Ukitake Juushirou was the more adult of the two men was often discussed, at least among the vice-captains (the captains thought themselves too honourable to gossip like that). Nanao liked to confirm it and say that her own captain was completely unreliable and very childish. Hinamori preferred to compromise and say that Kyouraku-taichou could be adult whenever he wanted to, just as Ukitake-taichou could probably be childish in the same way. Isane tried to keep herself out of the discussion as much as possible, and Nemu just calmly agreed with Hinamori. Hisagi normally just shrugged and said that they both seemed very adult to him, while Kira said that Kyouraku seemed surprisingly adult if he was just in the right mood. Matsumoto said that they were both just as childish and just as adult, so it didn't matter. Renji and Iba kept out of the discussion, and Omaeda was barely allowed to get a word in. However, when they had these chances to gossip, they didn't know that Shunsui normally overheard it all due to him slacking around instead of being somewhere else; and he'd always tell Juushirou about it. And Juushirou would just laugh and say that they weren't all wrong, after all; but he still claimed to be the more adult of them.

~*Friend*~

If there was one thing that Juushirou knew had changed his entire life, and his own personal views of life, then it was meeting Shunsui. He couldn't imagine what his life would've been like if Shunsui had never been there... Or well, maybe he could, but then it would've ended before he even got out of the Academy. And he just didn't like to think of a life without his best friend. Shunsui had become a big part of his life, and he didn't want to trade it for anything in the world. True, the man could be extremely aggravating at times, but that was just his personality. If he hadn't been the way he was, Juushirou would've been bored with living already. Shunsui was the one who had carried him to the infirmary after the first time Juushirou's illness had flared up during a lesson. Shunsui had been there, watched over him until he woke up, and he had been the one who told him that he had to get better because classes would be boring otherwise. He had tirelessly been there by his side, and whenever he had to go to class, he came back with a bunch of neatly written notes about the subject for Juushirou. Without Shunsui, Juushirou would've given up already after that. But thanks to the fact that the other boy had never allowed him to give up and managed to force him to keep fighting, he was still alive. And Shunsui was still there to cheer him on in his struggle.

Juushirou dodged the hollow's vicious claws, quickly glancing to his left to see if Shunsui was alright. The brown-haired man was smiling, and gave him thumbs up.

"Go for it, Juu", he shouted before he started to catch the creature's attention. "Finish him off, fighter!"

And with a smile, Juushirou took the chance and sliced the hollow's mask in two. A grinning Shunsui sheathed his zanpakutou, walked up to his friend and put an arm around his shoulders to keep him steady as he coughed.

"Told you", he said and laughed. "As long as you don't give up, you'll really get this far."

~*Treasure*~

Shunsui treasured all moments with Juushirou, because he knew that even if the man kept fighting, tomorrow might be the day when he took his last breath. So he treasured every moment, every smile, and every word. Juushirou was the kind of human who only showed up every now and then and who needed to be treated like a rare and very valuable treasure. He needed to be protected, but he also needed to be put on display for the world to see. He was frail, but he could handle himself. And if he needed help, he'd ask for it (although, more than once had he neglected that part, forcing Shunsui to take the decision for him). In a way, Shunsui felt that he was a very lucky man; to be allowed to protect and help such a treasure made him feel very happy. So throughout the years, it seemed like he had managed to develop some sort of sixth sense that warned him whenever Juushirou was getting worse. At times at captains' meetings, Shunsui would suddenly walk over to Juushirou, place a hand on his shoulder and steer him out; mere moments later, they could hear the coughing. Juushirou was a rare treasure; sure, he had his flaws like everyone else. But to Shunsui, he was irreplaceable.

~*Second*~

When he was younger, Shunsui had severely disliked the number two. First of all, he had been the second son, and therefore his older brother had always been the priority for his family. The only one of his parents who wanted to and liked to give him attention had been his mother. But his brother always did come first. His father just needed to start the sentence "If only you were more like your brother" to make him get angry. But at the same time, he didn't have his brother's responsibilities (or so he thought), so he'd simply do what he felt like doing. In the end, when he was sent to the Academy and more or less forced to actually do something with his life, he met someone who made him change his view on life. That person's name was Ukitake Juushirou. Juushirou was the one who had put his foot down and told him to stop being so childish, to grow up a little bit and realise that there's nothing wrong with being the second son.

"No matter if you're the first or maybe the fifth", he had said. "They're still your parents, right? And they care for you! So how can you lack so much in respect for your family?"

Since then, Shunsui had slowly started to stop disliking being number two. In fact, he had started to like it. Thanks to that he was the second son, he didn't have to produce heirs, and he was now a captain of the Gotei 13. And he didn't want it any other way.

~*Fourteenth*~

Juushirou knew that his name amused some people a lot, and shocked some others. After all, it meant "fourteenth son", which suggested a lot about his family. But he'd always laugh and wave it off, telling them that it did not imply how many siblings he had. At the same time, he was getting rather sick of it. Names didn't necessarily suggest things about one's behaviour or appearance, or about the family. But then again, Juushirou's name did point to something family-related... He just didn't think that it was so necessary for people to know which generation he was. But even though it was a little annoying, he couldn't help but smile at their faces when he told them that it wasn't the number of children that the name implied. It was fairly amusing, actually. Shunsui liked that he got yet another way to point out that Juushirou was being cruel, and Juushirou got a chance to put on his best innocent smile and claim that he had no idea what his friend was talking about. But the next time someone blinked in surprise at hearing the name, he smiled gently and, before the person could open his mouth, said:

"It refers to that I'm the fourteenth generation of my family. I would have been rather shocked myself to be the fourteenth son and named after that."

~*Care*~

Despite what some people said, Shunsui was a very caring person. Juushirou was ready to defend that, no matter what people said; he would never let anyone try to sully his best friend's good name. Especially not for something like that. People called him careless, called him a lazy drunk, and although Shunsui normally admitted to the last two accusations, he didn't like to be called careless. Juushirou knew this all too well, and who would know better than him just how kind and caring Kyouraku Shunsui could be?

Once again this day, Juushirou had to defend his friend, despite being bedridden. He had been coughing uncontrollably for almost ten minutes before Shunsui found him and dragged him to the Ugendou and a warm waiting bed. Nanao had also been there, and when Shunsui had said that there was no need to call for Unohana because he had things under control, she had coolly told him that he was being careless and selfish, and that Juushirou needed medical attention. And Juushirou snapped.

"Ise-kun, I will not allow you to speak that way about him", he said, his voice sounding unusually cool and bitter. "You of all people ought to know that despite his flaws, he's a very kind person. And he is right, there's no need to call for Unohana, it's not that bad. Shunsui has seen this before, so he knows just when it's bad enough, and don't you even _dare_ to try and claim otherwise! Your captain is a kind and caring man, and I will not tolerate that _you_ of all people speak about him as if it was quite the contrary!"

Both Shunsui and Nanao stared at him for a split second; then, Shunsui chuckled softly and patted Juushirou on the head, picking up the cup of tea he had asked Nanao to bring and making the ailed man drink a little.

"No need to snap at her, Juu", he chided gently. "But I'm grateful for your kind words. Thank you, Juushirou."

~*Appetite*~

Shunsui never ceased to be amazed at just how much Juushirou could eat. It was a strange thing to observe; more than once had he lost a bet about how much the ailed man was able to tuck in. Although he ate slowly, more or less delicately, he never seemed to be full. And if he had just recovered from a bout of his illness, he ate even more than usual. Shunsui liked to joke that one day, Juushirou would definitely run out of things to eat and turn to cannibalism, and that he'd surely devour his friend then. After that kind of joke, Juushirou would slowly put away whatever he was eating and glare at him. He did not appreciate that kind of humour, but Shunsui never wasted a chance at pointing it out. Not even in the company of his own older brother, who had for some reason decided to pay him a visit. That time, it had been the brother who said it, and Juushirou's glaring was at least three times as deadly. And Shunsui could only chortle. While Juushirou could obviously take that kind of joke from a good friend, he would not accept that someone he didn't even know said it.

~*Cat*~

Juushirou had likened Shunsui to many things throughout the years. But the day when he saw Shunsui sit with a small kitten in his lap and a wide smile on his face, he couldn't help but chuckle. Because in a way, it was like Shunsui had found his "kin".

In many ways, he was just like a cat. He was lazy, he liked attention, he was graceful and independent, and much more. Once he had realised this, Juushirou kept imagining what Shunsui would look like as a cat. Chuckling, he imagined a small brown cat with a piece of pink cloth resting over its back and a straw-hat on its head. Shunsui frowned at the chuckle and raised an eyebrow.

"What's so amusing", he asked. "It's just a kitten."

Juushirou laughed and sat down next to him.

"An adorable kitten", he agreed. "I was just thinking about how similar you are to a cat."

Shunsui blinked, and then tried to imagine himself with fur, cat-ears and a tail. When he shuddered, Juushirou smiled sympathetically and patted his shoulder.

~*Dog*~

Shunsui would not drop the fact that Juushirou had likened him to a cat. So, as a revenge he began to think about what animal Juushirou resembled somehow. And when he one day saw Juushirou stop to pat a dog who had run up to him, he started to grin. There it was.

Indeed, in some ways the white-haired man resembled a dog. He could have all the same looks on his face (heavy disappointment, concern, pleading, happiness), he loved food just as much, he was fiercely loyal to those he considered his friends (obviously "packmembers"), and he could be very intimidating when he tried to. Shunsui kept grinning as he stepped over to his friend and started to pat him on the head.

"Next thing you know, you'll grow a tail", he grinned. "And fur and a pair of dog-ears..."

Juushirou frowned, looking generally disapproving.

"I'm not a dog", he protested. "And you can't prove otherwise."

Shunsui began to laugh and put an arm around him.

"We're opposites", he said happily. "So if I'm a cat, then you're a dog."

~*Obtain*~

Shunsui gasped for air when he sank down on his knees. The hollow was strong, maybe too strong, and it had caught him rather good. A vicious claw ripping into his side, and then pain was all he could think of. He cursed angrily in his mind, frantically trying to see something he could use. He blinked as he saw Nanao's vice-captain badge on the ground; the flower that signified the Eighth Division almost seemed to burn into his mind. The bird of paradise. _Everything is obtained_.

"Couldn't be more wrong", he told himself mentally. "I haven't obtained everything yet..."

He kept repeating the meaning of the flower in his mind, and struggled to get his body under control again.

_Everything is obtained_.

He hadn't obtained everything yet.

He wouldn't stop fighting until he had...

Claws came down, but were stopped by a sword.

"Do you _want_ to scare me to death, Shunsui?!"

He blinked and looked up, seeing a white and black blur.

"Juu... shirou...?"

"Who else? Are you going to get up, or do you wish to play dead a bit longer?"

He smirked and pushed himself up on his feet, grabbing his zanpakutou.

"I haven't obtained everything I wanted in life yet, so of course I'm getting up."

~*Hope*~

Juushirou held back a scream when he reached the clearing, only to see Shunsui fall to his knees. That wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Shunsui couldn't be defeated by a mere hollow, he just couldn't... Thoughts flew through the white-haired captain's head as he drew his zanpakutou and charged, not waiting for those he had brought with him from his own division. The hollow was about to strike. When he leapt forward, he happened to see a small white flower beneath a large tree; a summer snowflake. And with a slight smile, he remembered the meaning of it, the meaning of his division's symbol. The summer snowflake, the flower of _Hope_.

"It'll be alright", he told himself. "I can always hope that it will be alright."

The claws came down, and he placed himself in their path, deflecting the strike with his weapon.

"Do you _want_ to scare me to death, Shunsui?!"

He knew that he sounded more angry than he meant to, but maybe it would make the man react.

"Juu... shirou...?"

"Who else? Are you going to get up, or do you wish to play dead a bit longer?"

He smiled as he saw Shunsui get up on his feet and take his sword again. He knew that he could keep Shunsui's hope up as long as he still had something to obtain.


End file.
